Skelia

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Two of our major enterprise accounts have transitioned their water management to our new platform and are excited for the enhanced functionality and cost savings.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly meetings with the project manager and have direct access to their engineering staff. We frequently Skype, too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely educated, comparable to Silicon Valley engineering and experience. They’re much better than the past companies we’ve worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The should have more post-release availability and be more proactive in fixing bugs once the product goes live.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Thoroughly explain your business and programming goals so that they understand what your product will be used for.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re a startup, so we had some cash flow challenges at the beginning of the project. Skelia was flexible regarding invoicing and payments, which helped us get our business up and running. Currently, the platform supports only the automotive industry, and we’re working to expand across more verticals like the real estate and job markets.

So far, we haven’t run into a single bug. Their work has been extremely high-quality. Our CTO enjoys working with them, and we’ve received only positive feedback on the basic platform. We’ve interacted with notable brands in the automotive industry to get their products in our system, and their representatives also praise the platform.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

We started with two-week sprints. We had weekly standups, which we soon changed to biweekly. To avoid micromanaging them, we provide user storyboards, and they handle the design and development process. They work remotely from Ukraine, but it feels like they’re sitting in the same room as us. If there are any scheduling conflicts, they’ll let us know right away.

We communicate with several members of their team, but there is a point person who handles the management of our account. The representative provides feedback on meetings, information about their processes, and plans for the future. It’s not always very detailed. Over a few weeks, they replaced the original account manager, but nothing changed.

With that said, meeting with them is always very productive. Their team is well-prepared with presentations of their most recent work. We go over business insights, marketing updates, and sales information every six weeks. It keeps everyone on the same page. Overall, we can tell they’re committed to our project. They’ve even worked overtime to make sure they complete a specific task.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like to know the team that I’m working with, and it’s crucial that they have a very collaborative attitude. We have one-on-one meetings with their staff, and it’s always enjoyable. It’s clear that the Skelia team likes working with their colleagues, which sets the foundations for strong communication. They’re a good fit for this project, not only in terms of skill but also culture.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t. The combination of the tools that they’re using is working perfectly. They’re a well-organized company, even providing their staff with team-building days.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They definitely increased our performance. The number of bugs found by customers dropped dramatically once we started working with them. That was one metric I kept a close eye on for several months, and once we started working with Skelia there was a significant improvement in the quality of our releases to the app stores.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was seamlessly run. They're very professional, clear, and responded quickly whenever they encountered bugs or anomalies. I was also impressed with how they took feedback from us throughout the process. We mainly used video calls to keep in touch, as well as phone and email. We also occasionally used Trello and some of our own project management tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They gave me a lot of confidence that they were thorough and professional, which was particularly important to me given the testing we did. In a situation like this, you want to know that your partner cares as much about your products as you do. And I definitely felt that from them, especially from the members of the testing team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It took a while to reach a point where I was happy with the price negotiations for the project. This may be personal preference, but for me, it's important that we have a trial period before we start to negotiate the bill. In this case, we spent a bit of time deciding what to pay for those smaller test projects. To be fair to them, it's probably a function of the scale of their business, but if I was working with a larger company I'd expect them to put time and energy into selling the product to me before they request any payments. But I do understand that it's expensive to spend time and resources on a business like mine if I decide not to use them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd say to embrace the relationship. It's easy to look at your outsourced testing team and keep them at a distance, but integrating them deeper into your team is very valuable. Bring them in on a weekly or bi-monthly call as part of your production cycle. They're trustworthy, so rely on them like part of your team, because you'll have a better outcome.